new melodies
by amf studios
Summary: a rewrite of the octo expansion if cap'n cuttlefish wasn't there when agent 8 woke up.
1. light in the tunnel

**A re-write of the octo expansion. Inspired by 'when the music stops' follows a similar idea with changes here and there.**

Chapter 1: light in the tunnel.

Dark, cold, bleak, test subject 10,008 had been coming up with a lot of synonyms for his life recently, or what he knew of it. What he did know was he was a 14 year-old, male, natural blue octoling(though you couldn't tell since he was constantly being dyed pink, red, or fuchsia), he woke up, alone in an abandoned subway which led to deep sea metro, he was a test subject for something, he was good with electronics, and he had been wearing a soldier's uniform when he woke up. What he didn't know was where he was, how he got there, what had happened, his real name, or anything about his life before waking up. He only had one, faint memory of who he really was: a song.

Before he woke up, and sometimes when he sleeps, or focusses very hard, he could hear a faint, but beautiful song: " _Now, we must be strong, together we will sing this song! and you can sing along…"_

That was the only thing he really knew, he lost all his memories, but his mind kept that, like it was something worth holding on to. That song was the last shred of his old life, and he despised his new one. Soon after waking up he found TarTar, some strange phone like machine. TarTar made it clear the only way out of deep sea metro was to complete 80 test and bring it four thangs. That was months ago, he'd only passed ten, he knew where the first thang was, but as completely incapable of getting to it. Everyday it was try to past the test, he'd often fail, having to go back to previous test just to get more points.

He'd also come to despise C.Q. cumber, the operator for the tests who was constantly blowing him up when he failed. Although, truth be told he didn't mind C.Q.'s company, since the lone octoling only had a few others he considered friends, and C.Q.'s train was the closest thing to home he had. Like every other test subject, 10,008 was allowed a section of one of the cars to live in, he had turned his into a room on a bench with some old blankets both to cover up and to use as dividers, he also had his CQ 08, which was a mini computer everyone in the tests had, which also interlinked them, it was his main source of entertainment when testing hours were over, through it he met someone he typically talks to, Dedf1sh.

From there conversations, he learned that dedf1sh was a failed test subject and that alot of the music playing in the tests she made. Like him, dedf1sh didn't remember anything about her life, just that she was and is an octoling DJ.

He also had the habit of making memcakes, little sweets that don't go bad, and were typically molded into something he recognised, he didn't have much use for them, so he traded them to his neighbor iso padre, who liked collecting them. Iso was also a failed test subject. Eventually 10,008 learned that almost no one could remember anything about their life before the test, failed testers like Dedf1sh and iso padre simply called themselves that because they couldn't their names.

10,008 wasn't exactly happy with his situation, or his life in general. At this point, he didn't care what these test were for, he just wanted to be done with them, he just wanted to leave, so he could hear the song that played in his head, at least one more time.

One day, the deepsea metro train skitted to a halt. Over the intercom, C.Q. said, "we will be taking this stop to refuel and gather supplies, you have one hour to return to the train."

10,008 left the train, wearing neo octo armour that he got from iso, he heard it was high durability to different kinds of ink, so it would be useful in the tests, no wonder the sanitized octolings are always wearing it. Today he figured he would go to where he woke up, to try and find some kind of clue to who he was.

He knew the route like the back of his tentacles, he memorized it the first time and left markers incase he got lost. He still remembered when he woke up there, cold, confused and afraid. He wasn't scared of this place anymore, but still was a little dark and depressing.

At first he tried humming dedf1sh's latest remix, what was it… Splattack? Then tried the melody of the train gingle, didn't work any better. Lastly he tried to remember the one song that played in his head.

"Now we must be strong, together we will sing this song, and you can sing along," he sang, but then remembered he didn't know how the rest of the song went.

When he entered the room that he had woke up in, he saw something that legitimately caught him by surprise. Other people, two octolings(at least they looked kind of like octolings) passed out on the floor. Both girls, one had yellow ink, short tentacles and was wearing a neon yellow jacket, black shorts and grey sneakers. The other, had grey tentacles with lime green tips, and was wearing a black kimono with a green obi. The second somehow looked familiar to him as if he had seen her before.

Suddenly he got a flashback. He wasn't in deep sea metro, the place he was, while very dark, was being lit up by pink and green lights, there were more octolings in armour, they had dropped their weapons. he looked up and saw some sort of vehicle, on top of it were two figures on had long, black tentacles, and the other was the same he just saw. The both of them were wearing midnight blue, sparkly outfits, and singing, "Now, we must be strong, together we will sing this song, and you can sing along! Callie, Marie, we're one and two and you make three so sing harmony, and together we will see where we belong!"

"What's this? Where my beats?" another, male voice said.

"That heavenly melody, it's the one and only Squid Sisters!" an older sounding voice said as the flash back ended.

"Marie?" 10,008 said looking at the unconscious... Squidling.


	2. agent 8

Chapter 2: agent 8

10,008 carefully put a hand on marie to try and wake her up, "marie, please, wake up."

Marie slowly opened her eyes, but the minute she saw him she jolted awake and got into defensive position, "an-n octoling! How did you get in…" she then realised her unfamiliar surroundings, "where are we, are you the one who took callie, is she here too!?"

He was about to answer when marie noticed the other girl and yelled, "agent 4! He got you too!" she jumped to agent 4 and began shaking her awake.

"Ugh, 5 more minutes, mom," she drowsily said.

"Agent 4 we've been captured by octolings!" marie said as agent 4 jolted awake, "octolings!"

The two girls took defensive positions as agent 4 went for a weapon that wasn't there.

"Hey, where's my hero-shot?" she said confused.

"He probably took that to-" "would you two calm down," 10,008 cut marie off, this shut the other two up, "good. Now, first off, i didn't bring you here, i found you here. Secondly, i'm not gonna hurt you."

"How do we know you ain't lying?" agent 4 asked folding her arms.

10,008 thought to himself for a moment, then started to sing, "Now, we must, be strong! Together we will, sing, this song, and you can sing along! Callie! Marie! We're one and two, and you make three, so sing, harmony, and together we shall see where we belong!"

Marie was a little surprised by this, "that's the calamari inkantation. It's our most famous song."

"That songs been ringing in my head since I woke up here," 10,008 replied.

"So then you're in the same boat as us," agent 4 sighed.

"Yeah, only difference is I woke up alone," he replied.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, im-" "Marie of the squid sisters," 10,008 cut off marie again.

"Wow, even an octoling is more cultured than you, 4," marie quipped, "so then who are you?"

"User: 08, test subject:10,008," he replied.

"Um, that's a weird name," agent 4 said to which the octoling sighed, "that's not my name, Genius, it's just what they call me. I don't know my real name, when i woke up all I could remember was the calamari inkantation."

"Well we gotta call you something shorter," marie said. At that moment, 4 got an idea, "Agent 8, we can call him agent 8."

"Why?" marie asked.

"Well, you're agent 2, i'm agent 4, why not call him agent 8?" 4 explained.

"What about agents 5,6, and 7?" marie asked.

"Eh, will cross that bridge when we get to it," agent 4 shrugged.

"Well, then it's settled, as temporary leader of the new squidbeak splatoon, I declare you agent 8," marie said with a smile, "our first octoling member."

The now proclaimed 'agent' 8, thought to himself, looks like he had his own name now too.

"Okay, we should get going, train leaves soon," Agent 8 said starting to walk away, leaving the two girls confused. They followed him down the path that lead to deep sea metro.

"Welcome to what I assume is the worst place in the world!" he announced as they entered.

"What is this place?" marie asked.

"Deepsea metro station central, remember when i said I was a test subject, well this place is the central plaza to a network of 80 testing facilities, anyone down here is or was either a test subject, or someone running the test," 8 explained.

"Wut they testin us for?" 4 asked.

"No one knows, at least no one down here, kamabo corp., the guys who run this place, have been keeping a serious lid on it, although from what i've heard the way the tests work is they wipe your memory, put you through the test, pass then all, they let you back to the surface, fail, you're either stuck here forever, or are incorporated into the test," 8 answered.

"Wait, wipe your memory?" marie asked.

"That one, im not entirely sure about, however everyone i've asked, like me, could barely remember anything about their life before the metro,"agent 8 replied.

"You're leaving us with more questions than answers, 8," 4 said.

"And kamabo doesn't ring any bells either," marie added, "are they some kind of research foundation?"

"Could be, one of the main theories is that everyone here used to work for em," agent 8 answered.

"But if were here…" 4 started.

"You're test subjects more than likely," 8 said bluntly, while signaling them to follow him. He stopped at tartar and said, "hey Tar, found these two in the same place I woke up."

The phone shot to life saying in a mechanical voice, "greeting user 08, i see you've brought more test subjects. Scanning… test subject species: inkling, female. Greetings test subjects 10,009 and 10,010. Activation contemporary speech. wut is up my home skillet, are yall ready to skiddy on up to da Promised Land?"

"I'm sorry, what?" marie asked confused.

"Weird, it's never done that before, you guys must of broke it," 8 snickered, "no need to explain, i've been saving you the work."

"Thanks dog, now here ya go, ya very own CQ cards," tartar said as to blue cards dropped from the mouth like slot.

"Those will get you into any test in the metro as long as you have enough points," 8 said as the girls picked theirs up, "but testing hours are done for the day, thank goodness. Come on, train leaves in five."

"So whats the train about?" 4 asked.

"Think of it like a hub, testers and ex-testers live on it, they provide food and all that jazz, sometimes they'll even patch us into splatfests, it also takes us to any test we need," 8 said, "closest thing to home we got."

The train gingle played and C.Q. yelled, "all aboard!" at that moment, everyone who as in the station boarded the train. 8 led 4 and marie to his section of the train.

"Welcome to my extremely humble abode," he said plopping on his bench.

Marie sat down next to him and put one of the blankets over herself, agent 4 shifted into her squid for and sat on her lap.

"So when do we get the grub?" 4 said though it was mostly inaudible in her squid form.

"Dinner is in a few minutes, they're bringing the menus out now," 8 said taking out is CQ 08 to text dedf1sh.

As if on cue, an octoling with cyan skin and blue tentacles, wearing a conductor's uniform(like the ones from octurry) entered the car and began handing out menus to the passengers.

"What's with her?" marie asked.

"She been sanitized," 8 replied.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Not entirely sure, all i know is it makes octolings look and act weird," 8 bluntley replied again, "and i try to avoid it at all costs."

The octoling hadn't each of them a menu then stood at the door. Marie looked it over and noticed that all the options could be found on the surface.

"At least we can enjoy the food," 4 sighed with relief.

The octoling came back with pen and paper, "orders?"

"The usual," 8 said not looking away from his screen

"I'm in the mood for pizza," marie said.

"Ooh, same here," 4 said.

The octoling moved on to the next person. 8 looked at marie, he genuinely felt sorry for her and 4, they had no idea what they were getting into.

Bonus: user 08 chat room entry 1.

User 08 joined the chat room.

User 08so i just type what i want to say, ok who else is on here?

Dedf1sh joined the chat room.

dedf1shhello.

User 08hey.

dedf1shfirst time in the metro?

User 08yep.

dedf1sh well good luck, you might need it.

Dedf1sh left the chat room

User 08hello?

hello?

quick note: i have no idea how the clustered thing happened. sowwy


End file.
